Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Social Science in Child and Community (Dual Degree)

at Western Sydney University - Parramatta South Campus Australia

This degree gives you the skills you need to become an in-demand computing professional. You will gain skills in a practice-based learning environment, be introduced to real-world project experience, and acquire a solid knowledge of ICT theory.

Western’s Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology will give you a strong understanding of several industry domains including networking, databases, systems analysis and design and programming. You will also gain relevant skills in web and mobile technologies, project management, professional communications, operating systems and human computer interaction. As well as the necessary mathematical and statistical skills to succeed as an ICT practitioner, you can choose from a broad range of specialisations including entertainment computing and social media analytics. You will also gain access to industry-leading facilities where you can bring your ideas to life and shape an unlimited future.

Entertainment Computing

This major will deal with a comprehensive focus on the technical and theoretical knowledge of design, development and deployment of software applications in the field of Entertainment Computing.

The degree will develop the mindset, risk tolerance, creativity, passion, big thinking, team formation and leadership capabilities – the key distinct characteristics of high-impact entrepreneurs.

In an entrepreneurial ecosystem, you will learn the knowledge and techniques for opportunity discovery, impact analysis, customer analysis, strategic team-building and leadership, the psychology and ethics of the start-up, funding modelling and financial analysis, growth and exit strategies.

The Games Design and Simulation specialisation will convert your passion for playing games into deep knowledge of the science and art of problem solving through development and application of games and simulations.

This area of study includes gamification, games design, game-based learning, and psychology of gaming, serious games, games entrepreneurship, as well as broader modelling and simulation. It features two majors that are not available in any other Western University degree - Game Programming and Game Design.

Upon completion you will have developed an entrepreneurial mindset and will know how to apply this mindset to address a diverse range of problems through game and simulation-based solutions.

The program incorporates practical experience in every semester of study, placing students in entrepreneurial environments (incubators, technology parks, innovation centres) and enabling them through all the stages from creative ideation through the sustainable development of the idea into a lean start-up.

Our fully accredited Bachelor of Creative Industries is unique in NSW. It gives you the opportunity to combine your studies in Arts, Communication, Design and Music with programs in Business and Law.

Digital Cultures

The Digital Cultures Major offers students the opportunity to learn about how cutting edge technology and digital practices are changing society.

By analysing new media, visual arts, and digital design and the effects that the use of these new technologies have on culture and society, students will gain the necessary skills to position themselves for careers in a wide variety of contexts that require understanding of technology or digital media and its impact.

Complementing these analytical skills, students will also gain practical skills in the creation of digital media and design.

The Bachelor of Arts (Dean’s Scholars) degree is designed to develop your communication and personal skills, creativity, capacity for independent thought, adaptability to new situations, and problem-solving abilities.

Heritage and Tourism

In a world where the preservation of historical and natural environments is one of the major challenges facing all societies, heritage has become a touchstone for social and cultural identity, our understanding of modernity, peace and development, our senses of citizenship, custodianship and community.

At the same time, heritage places have become significant tourist destinations and so, in a world of flows and networks, the heritage– tourism relationship is a critical one. This major leads to career paths with government and private sector roles in visitor management and development within heritage enterprises, such as museums, galleries and historic properties.

Tailor your studies to your specific goals by combining our Bachelor of Communication degree with a Bachelor of Business degree. 

Through classwork, independent study and engagement with the multicultural nature of our communities, students develop an understanding of the local and international relevance of their chosen studies, with opportunities to develop and produce a range of media outcomes as applied research and professional projects throughout their studies.

Students complete a capstone subject in engaged learning that equips them as ‘business ready’ in terms of dealing with real world business issues and problems and generating real world business solutions.

Advertising

The Advertising major gives students a thorough grounding in general principles of communication as well as practical skills in advertising. 

The major offers a balance of advertising theory and practice and focuses on real, project-based outcomes.

Areas of study include advertising strategy, advertising creative and art direction, client and account management, digital and social media contexts, advertising campaigns.

Take the lead in a critical area of needed skills. Our Master of Health Science degree offers you the opportunity to lead in the fields of Health Services Management, Occupational Health and Safety or Digital Health.

The degree is specifically designed to prepare new, aspiring, and middle tier health service practitioners, planners, and managers to lead in the strategic and operational management of a wide range of health services and facilities.

Digital Health

The Digital Health specialisation combines the opportunity to study contemporary issues associated with information management in healthcare organisations with the integration of a sound understanding of the impact of digital health, as well as the development and implementation of projects and programs relating to this growing and critical area in both organisations and professional practice. The specialisation would be of interest to clinicians, health management and science (information engineering) professionals, and personnel working in health corporate roles with responsibilities in health data and information. Students in this specialisation can further focus their studies in aspects of innovation and entrepreneurship, and research and development in the digital health space. You will also gain experience with the development and implementation of projects and programs relating to these growing and critical areas in organisations and professional practice.

This program is designed for high achieving law students in the Bachelor of Science/ Bachelor of Laws program who wish to undertake an extended level of study and research in Law.

In the Bachelor of Science, students will learn core concepts and skills investigating the natural world, proposing and testing ideas by experimentation and observation, quantifying and modelling processes, communicating findings, and thinking independently and critically. Students can enrol in this degree and select from a range of scientific disciplines with the option of expanding learning into other areas outside of science.

The Bachelor of Laws (Honours) program satisfies the academic degree requirements for admission to practice as an Australian lawyer. Students will engage in collaborative face-to-face problem and case-based learning, will be supported by online learning materials, and will participate in authentic assessment to develop knowledge and skills. The program provides students with a broad progressive legal education with a strong practical orientation to the law. Students develop skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, research, communication, collaboration, self-management, and ethical and professional awareness and judgement. Students will have the opportunity to develop skills in legal advocacy, negotiation, and legal technology and extend their professional and learning experiences through work integrated learning, clinical placement and international exchange engagements.

Zoology

This major will provide students with a detailed understanding of the diversity of the animal kingdom. Students will develop a scientific understanding of how animals function and interact with their environment; from their ecology, behaviour and evolution; to the physiology and biochemistry of cells, tissues and major organ systems. On-campus animal facilities include those for reptiles, small marsupials and rodents, sheep and cattle, as well as over 1000ha of native, rural and aquatic habitats. This major will enable students to graduate with practical laboratory and fieldwork skills that will prepare you across a wide variety of disciplines in this field.

Forge a career as a world-class legal professional and stand up for what’s just with our Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry). Law at Western embraces the fundamental concepts of justice and places an emphasis on social justice and equality. At its heart, it's about a fair go for all.

Experience immersive legal learning and connect with a network of pre-eminent professionals through our Western Sydney University Justice Clinic, Lucy Mentoring Program, Law focused partnerships and cutting edge moot courts. Equip yourself with on the ground experience of legal drafting, court advocacy, client advising, oral communication, negotiation and mediation. Hone your knowledge with access to the fourth largest e-law library in NSW and find out how good it feels to use your knowledge to benefit society.

Tailor your studies to your specific goals by combining our Bachelor of Arts degree with the Bachelor of Creative Industries degree.

When you graduate after four years, you have two degrees, and the unique skills relevant to the contemporary employment environment.

The Arts component combines academic knowledge with practical real life training. It is designed to equip you with a broad range of skills and knowledge in research and critical enquiry, and is sufficiently flexible to cater to a range of career aspirations and personal interests.

In the Creative Industries component you will combine a core of entrepreneurship with major studies including culture and society, creative writing, design, enterprise innovation, journalism, literature, media arts, music performance and photo media.

Creative Writing

The Creative Writing major provides students the opportunity to produce their own creative writing and to edit and publish their work.

Students study with professional authors, editors and publishers from the Writing and Society Research Centre and staff from the School of Humanities and Communication Arts.

In addition, students have the opportunity to study contemporary approaches to language and literary studies, including literary criticism and theory, linguistic analysis, genre and textual study, and to read and examine a wide selection of modern and classic literatures.

This double degree program is designed for students whose interests span the Arts and Social Sciences.

It will give you the skills and versatility to work across a range of academic and professional disciplines, including the opportunity to develop global perspectives and communication skills.

You need to include a Social Science Major, so you can design your own academic program within the Bachelor of Social Science program structure.

Philosophy

Philosophy has always asked the ‘big questions’, for example, about the limits of our knowledge, the best way that humans can live together, how we understand the world around us, and what is ‘the good life’.

Our philosophy major enables you to develop particular skills and attributes – such as clear thinking, capacities to assess arguments and values, and sound understanding of important philosophical views – that have always been essential to university scholarship and which continue to be valuable for graduates in both public and private life.